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Why does my dog suddenly pant, tremble, and have trouble walking?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 38 lbs

My six year old dog has had two episodes (about a month apart) where he started panting, trembling, and has difficulty walking. It lasts for about five minutes, and then he is fine. He seemed completely normal prior to this.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 29th, 2017

I would recommend a visit with your veterinarian for an exam and bloodwork for Basil. If he has another episode before you see your vet, a video recording of the episode can also be helpful. Possible causes could include a seizure disorder (not all seizures involve a dog falling over and paddling and often we can see dogs with behavior you are describing). Other things we would worry about could include Addison's disease (where the body isn't producing enough steroids, we can see waxing/waning illness where dogs may have a few days where they are lethargic/not eating well and sometimes they can experience trembling/weakness). The vet will look your dog over, take blood to be sure we don't have a disease such as Addison's or liver disease that could result in neurological signs, and may decide to prescribe anti-seizure medication if they feel that is the issue, or continue monitoring.

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    Answered By Christina Kellogg, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Well, it is difficult to say exactly what these episodes are without seeing it. I would be worried that these episodes could be seizures or related to heart disease. Seizures can present in many different ways and they may progress in severity. Seizures can have numerous causes some of which are more or less common depending on the age of your dog. Some examples of causes are tumors in the brain, metabolic/systemic diseases, or infections. With heart disease, the symptoms are due more to weakness from decreased oxygen to the tissues. I would recommend having Basil evaluated by his veterinarian to make sure he is systemically healthy. Your veterinarian may recommend diagnostic tests like bloodwork. I would recommend keeping a log of when these episodes occur and what occurs and for how long. Also Try to get a video of one of the episodes as this will really help your veterinarian determine what is going on. Best of luck to you and Basil.

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